Vehicle Powertrain Control Using Occupant Mood for Noise Reduction
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle systems fail to effectively adjust engine noise levels based on occupant mood, leading to potential annoyance or dissatisfaction, especially in hybrid electric vehicles with advanced sound insulation.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle controller that uses a neural network to determine occupant mood based on sounds in the passenger compartment and adjusts the target rotation speed of the internal combustion engine and inverter operation frequency to optimize noise levels, switching between high and low frequency operations to match the occupant's mood and reduce noise annoyance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If volume of simulated engine noise is increased to achieve satisfactory effect, then noise insulation effect is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the volume and characteristics of simulated engine noise based on real-time driving conditions, actual engine noise levels, and occupant mood states. Rather than maintaining a constant high volume, the simulated noise is optimized to provide just enough supplementation to achieve the desired effect, thereby reducing unnecessary energy consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms including microphones to detect actual engine noise levels, mood detection algorithms to assess occupant satisfaction, and adaptive control to adjust simulated noise parameters. This closed-loop feedback ensures energy is not wasted on excessive simulated noise when actual engine noise is already sufficient.
2Use of energy by moving object
If inverter operation frequency is increased to improve energy efficiency, then energy efficiency is improved, but operating noise increases causing occupant annoyance
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses simulated engine noise as a mediator to mask the high-frequency operating noise from the inverter. When the inverter operates at high frequencies for energy efficiency, the simulated engine noise provides a complementary soundscape that covers the annoying inverter noise, allowing the system to maintain high energy efficiency without compromising occupant comfort.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If target rotation speed of internal combustion engine is adjusted to control noise, then noise control is improved, but energy efficiency may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the target rotation speed of the internal combustion engine based on a balance between noise control requirements and energy efficiency considerations. Rather than prioritizing noise reduction at all times, the system adapts rotation speed targets to maintain optimal efficiency while achieving acceptable noise levels, particularly when simulated engine noise is being used to supplement actual engine noise.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
A vehicle controller (28) controls a power train (10) of a vehicle and is configured to switch control of the power train (10) between a first control and a second control. The second control reduces operating noise of the power train (10) by a greater degree than the first control. The vehicle controller (28) is configured to, based on sounds in a passenger compartment (32), perform a mood determination in order to determine whether an occupant of the vehicle is in a state of high tolerance for the operating noise or in a state of low tolerance for the operating noise; control the power train (10) through the first control when determining that the occupant is in the state of high tolerance through the mood determination; and control the power train (10) through the second control when determining that the occupant is in the state of low tolerance through the mood determination.